Bilbao to Estella

[shanawona]

Hi,

We are arriving into Bilboa on the 26th of March at 10:35 from Dublin and want to get to Estella so that we can continue our journey where we stopped last year

We are looking at 3 routes:
Bilbao - Vitoria - Estella
Bilbao - Pamplona - Estella
Bilbao - Lognoro - Estella

Can anyone here recommend one route over the other? We have very little Spanish so I am trying to make this as easy as possible for us.

TIA

 

[nidarosa]

Have you had a look at Rome2Rio website? It shows you different routes so you can compare price, time and mode of transport. Or check out the ALSA bus company website - I know they have a Bilbao-Burgos route, and from Burgos bus station you can catch a bus to Logroño and then to Estella, but there might be faster/easier/cheaper routes.

 

[countycork]

We also arrived in Bilbao from Dublin but a later flight. We got ALSA bus to Estella via Logrono. We stayed in Hostal Volante, Estella which is convenient for starting your walk!

 

[karenhypes]

Hi,

We are arriving into Bilboa on the 26th of March at 10:35 from Dublin and want to get to Estella so that we can continue our journey where we stopped last year

We are looking at 3 routes:
Bilbao - Vitoria - Estella
Bilbao - Pamplona - Estella
Bilbao - Lognoro - Estella

Can anyone here recommend one route over the other? We have very little Spanish so I am trying to make this as easy as possible for us.

TIA

Hi, We took a bus from Estella to Bilbao years ago via Pamplona. Very easy. A couple of hours I think. Any probably would work. Dayton

 

[SEB2]

Hi @shanawona,
This might be garbled as I am tired and it is late, so I do hope you can make some sense of what I have written. In September last year I ended my short section of the Vasco at Vitoria-Gasteiz then took the La Estellesa bus from the bus station (on the outskirts of the city) to Estella. It was a stunningly beautiful journey. You don't have to book, you can pay on the bus. On the return journey, having walked with a pilgrim friend from Estella to Los Arcos, I took the bus from there to Logrono for the train back to Bilbao. The trains are infrequent between Bilbao and Logrono - a quick look at Rome2Rio shows only two per day, which limits options for connections, and prior booking is to be recommended, as almost all seats were reserved for my journey. There is a direct bus with fairly regular service from Bilbao Termibus, but be warned that it can feel pretty chaotic waiting for the departure details to appear on the electronic noticeboard with so many people crammed into a small space. You might need to book for this part of your journey with the Alava company. Also you have to change buses at Vitoria, but the bus station has all the usual services and there's helpful staff at the information desk who, in my experience, could cope with my limited Spanish. Buen Camino!

 

[julia-t]

Hello - I will be doing this on 19th March!

From Bilbao Airport take the shuttle bus to the city bus station (it's the last stop). 3 buses an hour, it takes about 30 minutes.

Take a bus to Pamplona - you should be able to get the 13.00 bus. The company is Autobus La Union, you can book 6-8 weeks in advance or go to the ticket counter. The journey takes 2 hours.

In Pamplona take a La Estellesa bus (destination Logrono) and get off at Estella. The timetable is at laestellesa.com - there are buses at 16.30 (arrives Estella 17.20) and 18.00 (18.55).

There's also a bus at 16.00 (destination Madrid) which stops in Estella at 16.40, timetable at plmautocares.com

I've done this several times before when starting to walk from other towns along the LaEstellesa route, and it's very easy. Both Bilbao and Pamplona bus stations are fairly small, and it's a pleasant journey.